TMZ Sports - Page 50

12:57 PM PT -- Law enforcement sources tell us the NYPD is looking for McGregor. We're also told detectives are currently interviewing people who were on the scene during the incident.

Dana White tells TMZ Sports there's a warrant out for Conor McGregor's arrest after he and his entourage attacked a bus with UFC fighters at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

However, we have not confirmed that with the NYPD just yet.

According to Dana, law enforcement has told Conor his plane cannot take off from New York and leave the state.

McGregor has been instructed to turn himself into authorities as soon as possible ... and multiple people involved in the incident have vocalized that they plan on suing the Irishman.

Dana says he hasn't spoken with Conor yet, but plans to do so as soon as possible. White says his focus right now is making sure UFC 223 continues as planned.

Dana White has confirmed UFC is trying to seal the deal for CM Punk's next opponent ... and it's Mike "The Truth" Jackson.

Rumors have been swirling for weeks, but White has finally confirmed to TMZ Sports that Jackson -- who also lost to Mickey Gall in his UFC debut -- is the intended target for Punk at UFC 225 in Chicago.

There's more ... Dana also talked about Brock Lesnar's impending return to the Octagon -- telling us Brock's opponent could hinge on who wins the Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier fight.

But, he also flashed a smirk when we mentioned the possibility of a Lesnar vs. Francis Ngannou scrap.

As for Conor McGregor ... we asked how he felt about the Irish superstar referring to him as a "c*nt" -- and shockingly, he wasn't too upset about it ...

Johnny Manziel was killin' it at Spring League practice on Wednesday -- throwing strikes, reading defenses and impressing coaches and teammates ... and TMZ Sports has the video.

Manziel's "Team South" was practicing in Austin, Texas for their league opener on Saturday -- and he definitely looked like he belonged out there with some very talented teammates.

Among the players on Manziel's team -- Ben Tate, former 2nd round draft pick who played for the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns.

His tight end is Chase Ford -- former Miami Hurricanes TE who played for the Minnesota Vikings. One of his WRs is former Baylor All-American Antwan Goodley.

Manziel will have 2 games to showcase his skills for NFL scouts -- hoping a pro team will take a chance on him for the 2018 season.

If Conor McGregor can fight Floyd Mayweather ... why not Brian Ortega vs. Gennady Golovkin?!

The UFC rising star tells TMZ Sports he's all the way down to take Canelo Alvarez's place in the May 5 boxing match ... now that Canelo has withdrawn from the fight.

"I'm down. I'm down. I'm down," Ortega said while out in NYC to promote UFC 223 ... "I want Triple G."

Look, Ortega -- and his boxing coach James Luhrsen -- know it ain't exactly an even fight ... but Ortega says he's down for the challenge and would work his ass off for a shot at one of the best boxers in the world.

"Triple G, I'm a fan ... If you want to fight an MMA fighter and you're looking for a fight, let's do it, man!"

ESPN ain't sweatin' the $50 million defamation lawsuit filed by ex-NFL player Dimitri Patterson ... because the police report obtained by TMZ Sports essentially confirms their story about Patterson's insane courtroom arrest.

Patterson sued ESPN claiming the network's 2017 story about a "courtroom escape attempt" was false and defamatory ... and he wants them to pay up BIG to make things right.

But, the problem for Patterson ... the Miami Police Dept. report detailing the incident in question describes exactly what ESPN reported ... Patterson violently tried to escape a courtroom.

"The defendant ran towards the door of the courtroom to exit. While running towards the door, the defendant tackled officer B. Robert causing her to fall backwards and sustaining an injury to the back of her head."

The police report says Patterson continued to struggle with officers and pulled another cop to avoid being handcuffed. He was eventually arrested and booked for battery on an officer and resisting arrest -- both felonies. TMZ Sports has obtained his mugshot.

Most people wouldn't call their bosses a bunch of "c*nts" in public -- but most people aren't Conor McGregor.

The Irish superstar was clearly paying attention to the UFC 223 media event on Wednesday, where Dana White announced he'd be stripping Conor of the 155-pound title to crown the winner of Khabib vs. Max Holloway.

Enter Conor ... who chimed in on social media following the event:

"You’s’ll strip me of nothing you’s do nothing c*nts."

Wonder how Dana's gonna feel about that?

McGregor has been challenging the UFC to strip him for months -- previously saying the organization would need an army to take his gold.

White also announced McGregor would "100%" be fighting for the UFC this year -- but didn't specify an opponent or a date.

Seems likely Conor will face the winner of Khabib vs. Holloway ... but guys like Nate Diaz and Floyd Mayweather are also on the table.

Stay tuned ...

Legend respect legend -- with Zlatan Ibrahimovic telling TMZ Sports ... Cristiano Ronaldo's insane bicycle kick is the best goal of all time.

Ronaldo's incredible goal against Juventes during a Champions League quarter final match on Wednesday has already gone viral. Ronaldo himself suggested it was the greatest shot of his career.

So, when we saw Zlatan leaving Il Pastaio in Bev Hills Wednesday night, we had to ask where he would rank the goal among the greatest of all time.

"It was fantastic ... best ever!"

He's not the only soccer legend who feels that way -- Zinedine Zidane described the shot as "one of the most beautiful in history."

But, was it better than Zlatan's own amazing 40-yard bomb he hit against the LAFC over the weekend during his MLS debut with the Los Angeles Galaxy?

We asked ... and got a rare moment of humility from the guy who previously said he was "born a legend."

WWE Hall of Famer Johnny Valiant -- a 2-time World Tag Team champ -- was killed Wednesday morning near Pittsburgh when he was hit by a truck while crossing the street.

The 71-year-old -- real name Tommy Sullivan -- was walking in Ross Township, Pennsylvania when he was struck by a pickup truck around 5:30 AM.

Valiant was rushed to a nearby hospital but his injuries were too severe and he died shortly after the incident.

After his wrestling career, Valiant went on to manage WWE superstars like Hulk Hogan, Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake, Dino Bravo and Demolition.

Mother Nature's gotta take a back seat to Kate Upton when it comes to ushering in Spring ... unless, of course, Mama N has her own smoking hot set of lingerie pics. Yeah, didn't think so.

Kate slipped into a ton of different looks for Yamamay's Spring 2018 collection, but you can go ahead and pretend she did it for you. The floral prints and lace, in many different colors, should get you in the swing of the season ... even if the weather doesn't.

As Kate's hubby, Justin Verlander, would say -- play ball!

Here it is ... the first photo of the 4.09 carat blue diamond Drew Brees bought for $8.1 MILLION.

It's pretty incredible ... but the QB says he overpaid by roughly $6 MILLION!

TMZ Sports broke the story ... Brees purchased the stone as an investment from Vahid Moradi of CJ Charles jewelers in San Diego back in 2015 -- but says he was completely duped.

For his part, Moradi and his attorney Eric M. George deny all wrongdoing and say Brees has no one to blame but himself.

Brees claims he trusted Moradi to get him the best prices on rare stones in the hopes of selling them for a profit at a later date.

Brees says in 2018 he had the stone appraised by an independent specialist who told him the diamond was only worth $2 million when he bought it ... and it has since increased in value to $3.75 mil.

There's more ... Brees is also furious over pink diamond earrings he bought in 2015 for $975k -- claiming Moradi used pink paint behind the diamond setting to make the stone appear more "pink" than its true color.

Brees says the pink stones are only worth $176k.

In total, Brees says he spent $15 mil with Moradi over the years -- but his stones are only worth roughly $6 mil ... a $9 million loss.

Chris Pratt's Hall of Fame MMA tour has hit Sao Paulo, Brazil -- where the Hollywood stud is takin' on (and takin' down) ANOTHER former UFC heavyweight champ!!

You might remember ... a few months back, the 'Guardians' star was at Jay Glazer's Unbreakable Gym in L.A. -- he's a member -- to grapple up with Randy Couture, and did pretty damn well since he used to be a legit amateur wrestler.

This time, Pratt took some time off his "Avengers: Infinity Wars" press tour to practice his double-legs on one of Brazil's most legendary fighters -- Antonio "Minotauro" Nogueira!

Chris says he also trained with Minotauro's twin bro, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira ... and couldn't be more thankful for the sesh with two of MMA's GOATs.

Watch your back, evil Marvel dudes.

Jared Leto's new album promotion got a serious fuel injection when he hooked up with NASCAR ... and Momma, he's going fast!!!

The Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman made a pit stop in Fort Worth, TX on Wednesday during his cross-country hitchhike to pump up the band's new album, "America." Jared bummed a ride with NASCAR Xfinity Series star Tyler Reddick to Texas Motor Speedway ... after the obligatory burnout, of course.

Conor McGregor didn’t step up to fight Khabib Nurmagomedov at UFC 223, but Dana White says it’s a “100%” certainty the Irishman fights in the Octagon again -- THIS YEAR.

But, bad news for Conor – he won’t be coming back a UFC champion.

Dana just dropped the bombshell at the news conference for UFC 223 in Brooklyn .... confirming McGregor will continue his MMA career sometime in 2018.

But, as the UFC prez has told us in the past, Conor's gonna have to drop his 155-pound belt as soon as Khabib and Max Holloway get it on at 223.

As for McGregor's opponent -- Dana didn't say. But, the winner of Khabib vs. Max for the UFC lightweight title would make sense as Conor’s matchup.

Khabib and Max also got in their shots at the Q&A sesh ... with Khabib mocking Holloway for thinking he stands a chance against him.

Former Miami Dolphins cornerback Dimitri Patterson is suing ESPN for $50 million claiming the network defamed him in a 2017 article saying he was in custody after a "courtroom escape attempt."

The article -- published on August 15, 2017 -- says Patterson injured two police officers while trying to abruptly exit a Miami-Dade courthouse and avoid being arrested.

ESPN says it confirmed the info with police -- noting, "a female officer suffered neck and back injuries, and a male officer injured his wrist while apprehending Patterson."

FYI, Patterson played in the NFL from 2005 to 2013, racking up 9 interceptions in 79 games.

But, Patterson says the information is wrong -- saying, "The article is false and defamatory in its overall portrayal of DP as a violent, impulsive, unstable person."

Patterson says there is court video footage which backs up his claims.

In his suit, which he filed while acting as his own lawyer, Patterson includes a letter from ESPN legal team in which the network defends the accuracy of the article.

Patterson is demanding $50 MILLION in damages.

Here's your NFL savage hit of the week ... courtesy of a U.S. military attack dog that just BLEW UP Mark Ingram!!!

The Saints running back decided to go 1-on-1 with the dog during a USO visit with troops in Venice, Italy. Don't worry, Ingram was in full pads ... but dude still got dropped like a sack of potatoes.

Ingram tried bustin' out a spin move ... but nothing could save him from the K9 Ray Lewis, who took him airborne before slammin' him back down, HARD.

Before the dog sunk his teeth in, you can hear Mark screamin' for his damn life -- and we don't blame him. That was terrifying.

On the plus side, Mark got to sit back and watch the same pooch take out 300-POUND Falcons lineman Ben Garland.

FYI, Ingram, Garland and other NFL stars have more stops in Italy and Germany coming up as a part of the league's "Salute to Service."

Drew Brees got clean finessed by his jeweler -- and the only way to stop it from happening again is to get some gangstas on his squad ... so says rap star Rich The Kid.

We broke the story ... Drew filed a lawsuit against San Diego jeweler Vahid Moradi claiming the bling he bought from Moradi over the years -- around $15 million worth -- was actually worth MILLIONS less.

For his part, Moradi and his attorney Eric M. George deny all wrongdoing and say Brees has no one to blame but himself.

Rich is no stranger to ice (duh, rapper) so when we got him in ATL we asked him what he thought about the whole ordeal, and it's clear he thinks Brees took an L.

"He got finessed."

FYI -- for those of you who don't know, being finessed means to get played. If you don't know what getting played means it means to get duped. If you don't know what duped means we can't help.

All is not lost for Drew (what's a couple million right?) ... because Rich had advice to keep it from happening again.

"He needs some gangstas with him."